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Column
Death from being rich grows in India
A young Indian girl prepares meal at a slum in Jammu, India, Monday, March 26, 2012. <AP/Newsis> Man is not immortal. As we know it, there are two kinds of deaths. One that comes naturally due to terminal disease or old age and the other that is inflicted by economic…
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Column
Authenticity of alleged Kim Jong-un’s reform-mindedness
In this Sunday, April 15, 2012 North Korean leader Kim Jong Un delivers a speech during a mass military parade in Kim Il Sung Square to celebrate the centenary of the birth of Kim Il Sung in Pyongyang, North Korea. <AP/Newsis> North Korea is currently undergoing its third-generation dynastic succession,…
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Column
Realistic multiculturalism
The recent National Assembly election produced an unexpected result: a national discussion on multiculturalism. Jasmine Lee, a Filipina immigrant, became the first foreign born Korean to join the National Assembly. Her election through proportional representation drew a number of anti-immigrant comments and criticism of the ruling Saenuri Party on the…
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Colors of political parties
When the Saenuri Party selected red for the party’s color code I thought Park Geun-hye’s team was very smart, though I wasn’t impressed by its logo that looks like a giant tooth. The Democratic United Party (DUP), formerly led by Han Myeong-sook, had no choice but to dye their jackets…
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Column
Is N. Korea really intervening in elections here?
This year, North Korea celebrates the centennial of Kim Il-sung’s birth. For this reason, North Korea declared 2012 as the first year of building a “strong and prosperous nation,” and it has been carrying out propaganda on a massive scale. For North Korea, a “strong and prosperous nation” means a…
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Column
Missing of oppostion leader sparks general strike
Bangladesh economy held hostage Opposition warns of accelerating anti-government movement Bangladesh economy is being held hostage with the country’s politics getting volatile amidst street agitation spearheaded against the government by the opposition alliance led by Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). The opposition alliance enforced two days’ of general strike on Sunday…
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Asia’s demographic woes
Asia is aging. Current projections indicate that the working population in most Asian countries will decline over the coming years, if they haven’t started already. In response, calls for greater investment became louder so greater efficiency can compensate for the reduction in raw labour inputs. This is certainly an ideal…
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Jasmine Revolution, Korean style
Korea has come of age, of sorts. Jasmine Lee, a naturalized Korean citizen originally from the Philippines, became the first foreign-born lawmaker. Granted, she didn’t run for a seat herself, but became a member of the National Assembly as a proportional representation candidate when the Saenuri Party won a majority…
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Korean church and repatriation issue
Recently, there have been vigorous protests led by right wing evangelical churches against the Chinese government for its repatriation of North Korean refugees. In the United States, it is led by a consortium of conservative churches called the Korean Church Coalition. Let us examine how the problem of repatriation started,…
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FTA opportunity for Korean logistics providers
On March 15, 2012, Korea’s free trade agreement (FTA) with the U.S. took effect. However, public opinion in Korea on the benefits of this agreement is still not settled. Nevertheless Korean industries such as electronics, pharmaceuticals and automakers look forward to benefit from the agreement as they expect an increase…
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